Here's an example of what a $20,000 wedding budget in Canada may look like



$20,000 wedding in Ottawa

This couple invited 135 people. The wedding ceremony was in the afternoon and included a cocktail hour with an open bar. Next, there was a three course dinner, followed by an evening party with drinks and dancing.

Click here to download the spreadsheet for this $20,000 wedding budget.

THE BRIDE

TOTAL $720.00

Dress for the Bride

$450.00

Hair Stylists for the Bride

$190.00

Wedding makeup and nails

$80.00

THE GROOM

TOTAL $370.00

Outfit for the Groom

$310.00

Hairdresser and Barber for the Groom

$60.00

CEREMONY

TOTAL $2,885.00

Venue for the whole day

$2,200.00

Officiant Fee

$515.00

Marriage License

$170.00

RECEPTION

TOTAL $12,930.00

Cocktail hour (2 hours, 135 people)

$2,800.00

Catering -  food buffet (135 people)

$6,075.00

Open bar (3 hours, 110 people)

$3,105.00

DJ for the Party

$950.00

FLOWERS

TOTAL $640.00

Bouquet for the Bride

$160.00

Boutonniere for the Groom

$30.00

Bouquets for the 2 Bridesmaids

$100.00

Flowers for the Wedding Locations

$350.00

MISCELLANEOUS

TOTAL $2,800.00

Photographer

$2,600.00

Wedding Insurance

$200.00

TOTAL BUDGET

$20,345.00

Download Excel spreadsheet with $20,000 wedding budget for Canada

Click here to download the spreadsheet for this $20,000 wedding budget.

Typical wedding budget breakdowns

The infographic and table below give a high-level breakdown of wedding budgets. The majority of the wedding budget is usually spent on the wedding ceremony and reception. Not a big surprise as beverages and meals for the (large number of) guests is frequently a high cost.

1 - The wedding outfit for the bride
5% - 10%
2 - The wedding outfit for the groom
1% - 5%
3 - The wedding ceremony
5% - 15%
4 - The wedding reception
40% - 60%
5 - The wedding cake
2% - 4%
6 - Wedding preparation costs
1% - 2%
7 - Flowers for the wedding day
4% - 6%
8 - Wedding photography
5% - 10%
9 - Miscellaneous
10% - 15%

Table with a breakdown of wedding budgets in percentages

Looking for a thorough rundown of all the most common expenditures?

We've put up a comprehensive checklist for a wedding budget breakdown. Creating a wedding budget has two primary goals.

The first is to assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of the various expenditures associated with your wedding and helping you in making informed decisions.

The second purpose is to allow you to maintain track and manage your spending as the big day approaches.

Here are more wedding budget examples with spreadsheet downloads

$10,000 wedding in Kingston, Ontario

This couple invited 45 people. Their wedding took place in a chapel. After the ceremony, they had a reception in a venue with drinks, food, cake and a DJ.

Click here to go to this $10,000 wedding budget

$35,000 wedding in Toronto

This couple invited 140 people. The venue was a country house. After the wedding ceremony, there was a wedding reception, starting with appetizers, followed by a seated dinner with a three course menu. The day continued with a great party with a DJ and a smashing live band and of course an open bar and midnight party snacks.

Click here to go to this $35,000 wedding budget

$60,000 wedding in Vancouver

This couple invited 200 people. The venue was a five star hotel. After the wedding ceremony, there was a 2-hour reception with an open bar and appetizers, followed by a seated dinner with a five course menu. The day ended with a dance party with a great DJ and a live band.

Click here to go to this $60,000 wedding budget


Make a list of what you find important

As you can see in the examples above, there are many different things you can spend your money on, and everything can cost a wide range of money. For example, your wedding food catering can be a simple buffet, a very elaborate 7-course dinner, or you can choose to not organize food catering at all.

The choices you make are very personal. Maybe you don't care a lot about an expensive wedding dress, but you do want a cool dance party after you get married. Or maybe you care a lot about the food at your reception, and less for a cocktail hour.

When you need to choose what to spend your money on, you can make a list with the following categories:

1 - What do you find so important that you don't want to be on a budget?

2 -What do you find important, but not important enough to pay whatever?

3 - What would you find nice to have?

4 - What would you doubt about?

5 - What do you think unimportant, and isn't worth your money?

This list can help you to also determine how much money you would want to spend on each category.

Look at our great wedding calculators

WEDDING BUDGET CALCULATOR

Do you need help on how much money to plan for you wedding? This Budget Calculator will estimate the costs. You can also download a customized spreadsheet for your wedding budget for free.

WEDDING CAKE CALCULATOR

Simply enter the number of persons and this Wedding Cake Calculator will show you the matching cake servings chart and the average cost for the wedding cakes found.